You've Got It Backwards
by adventuresharkpond
Summary: She was taken in their home at a very young age. Everything she knows of the incident is what her Sensei has told her, yet she can't help but still feel a connection to the ones who left her years ago. Now she's an adult, searching for her lost past...but first has to go through shitty boy issues. Changed title. Rated T for now. Read and enjoy.
1. Remembrances

The man stepped out of the darkness into the dim, fluorescent lighting of the single street lamp. He wore only a thick, dark cloak over his clothing and carried his staff by his side. He spoke softly, under the hood of his covering, "Come quickly. Keep her close," his accent as thick and rich as the fabric of his cloak.

She followed him with a cloak over herself as well, grasping the child's small hand so tightly she was half afraid she would hurt it.

But she couldn't let go. Not for a second.

The child itself was, in a word, _frightened._ Her parents had been like this ever since they abruptly left home, hours prior. She held the fabric of her own tiny covering with her free hand, and felt the softness between her fingers. It almost soothed her…but just for a bit.

"Is it working?" the woman asked quietly to the man, eyeing the necklace in his palm.

The man silently cursed under his breath, before answering back, "No, not quite. I just need a few more minutes to send out a signa-. "

He was cut off by the sound of footsteps nearing their location. They came quickly, until the men appeared at the entrance of the alley. The stranger nearest to them stepped forward and without warning pointed the weapon towards the man in the cloak. The man raised his hands up in surrender, stepping in front of the woman and child.

"Listen to me…no good will come from this. Leave now and you will be spar-

The man was cut off once again by the bullet that pierced his body, just between his heart and right shoulder. He immediately slumped to the ground, revealing the now horrorstruck woman and child behind him. Before the stranger could release another bullet, a figure emerged from the shadows, taking the place of the dying, cloaked man. The new stranger's movements came swiftly, his blows even swifter, as the group of offensives fell to the ground in injury. The stranger finished with his last opponent and turned towards the woman and child.

He expected to see an expression of relief from the woman, but only saw a contorted mix of pain and sadness washing over her. He was confused until he saw her clutching her stomach, and looking down he saw the pool of blood growing around her abdomen. Another shot must've been fired during the struggle between himself and the men after the family, and had found its way to the woman.

She fell to her knees, and the stranger rushed to her before she hit the ground, placing his wrapped hands under her head. She was slightly shivering, her lips quivering as she tried to make of words for the stranger. Police sirens could be heard from nearby.

All that was said was, "Do not leave her side. Take care of her." The woman placed the necklace into the stranger's hand and turned her head towards the child, who stared on with shock and silence.

"Do not be afraid, my heart. Stay brave…Alana."

And then, she was gone.


	2. Morning Routines

She opened her eyes slowly, her head still resting on the soft pillow. Her eyes focused for a few seconds, registering the plastic, glowing stars that had been placed on the ceiling above her years ago. Her room was dark, except for the digital clock that rested on her nightstand. "7:26", it read in bright, red lighting. It must've been Sunday, otherwise the alarm would've set off over an hour ago.

"That same dream," she said to herself, taking her time to sit up and remove the covers from her bare legs. She swung them over on the cold, cement floor of her room. There were no windows or curtains she could throw open to reveal any soft morning light, so she stayed in the dark, allowing her eyes to get used to the blackness. A long time ago, she decided this was better than any open window.

Finally, she removed herself from the bed to grab her towel and toothbrush from across the room. She opened the door and let the fluorescent lights from the hallway pour in, closing the bedroom door behind her. Apparently, nobody was up yet, or else she would've heard the usual grunts of exertion and playful banter, or the television and radio, or all these things together.

Heading past the living room, towards the only bathroom, she saw the glow of lights underneath the door and decided someone _had_ woken up after all.

"Probably Don or Leo," minding the fact that her younger, less proactive brothers were likely still asleep. She folded her towel and placed her toothbrush on it, leaving them in her place to go get breakfast.

Stepping into the kitchen, she saw her second oldest sibling already up, with a mug of steaming coffee and the book she'd gotten him for his birthday in hand. He perked up upon seeing her walk in and placed the book facedown on the table.

"Morning, 'Lana," Don cheerfully said, smiling up at her.

She pulled a bagel out of the plastic bag, and began eating it untoasted, as she sat across from him. "Morning, Donnie. Is there anymore coffee left?"

He continued to smile, minding his habit of finishing a full pot on the regular. "There might be just enough for one more cup," he said, nodding towards the coffee maker.

"I'll get some soon," she replied. They sat in comfortable silence as she finished her bagel, and got up to pour a cup of French Roast. Donatello looked up from his book, regarding the mail from yesterday, left on the counter.

"Hear back from any of those schools yet?" he asked, genuinely interested.

Alana looked into her mug and swirled the liquid around a bit, obviously anxious about the question.

"Only a few," she mumbled. "My top schools are Columbia and Rochester. I'm leaning towards Cornell, but then again, I wouldn't be as close to home."

He understood her concerns, but realized he didn't want her regretting her decisions in the later years. "Well, it's not everyday someone wants to be an environmental engineer when they grow up. If it's a dream of yours, Alana, you need to pursue it, or else what have you been working for these last few years?"

She saw he was deeply concerned with her future, and allowed a smile to play on her lips. Not everyone had a familiar support system like she did.

"Thanks Don, but in all reality, I couldn't do this without you guys. Besides, how could you all live without my home cooking," she said sarcastically, knowing full well she could only cook if the food came in a box, with directions on the label.

"You're right about that," he said, playfully rolling his eyes. "But I'm serious about this, 'Lana. You have something the four of us don't, and that's a definite future; the chance to take advantage of being _fully_ human. And we'd all hate to see that wasted, because of us."

"I guess," she replied. "I'll let you know when I make a decision."

Alana downed the rest of her coffee and placed the mug in the sink, giving his shoulder a squeeze on the way out of the kitchen. Just as she turned to head over to the bathroom, a dark, hulking mass stopped her in her tracks, clearly on its way into the kitchen.

Her bright, hazel eyes looked swiftly up to his almond brown ones, and she felt all the air leave from her body in one split second.

He was definitely in the same situation; his eyes widened, his breath coming out almost ragged and short, which was _extremely_ unlike him.

Neither spoke for what felt like a million years, before he found his composure, lidded his eyes, and breathed in slightly through his nostrils.

"Good morning, Alana," he finally spoke with calmness. He stared down at her intently, making her tense up a bit.

"Hi," she said, steadying her voice so it wouldn't crack. "Did…you sleep well?"

"I did. Didn't realize how good a mattress feels versus a cave floor."

Alana chuckled at that, trying to subtly end the conversation, but also not trying to be extremely awkward.

"Yeah," she started. "If it's ok, I'm gonna…" she motioned behind him, in the direction of the open bathroom.

"Of course," he politely let her pass by, ending the conversation there and continuing into the kitchen. She waited until he was in, and then made a beeline to the door, locking it behind her. She slid down the inside of the door until she was sitting on the floor, and placed a hand on her uncombed hair, letting out a loud sigh.

"Jesus, I'm fucked," she whispered to herself, realizing she had half a year before she was out of the lair. How in the _hell_ was she supposed to keep up this nerve-racking interaction with him until graduation? She stood up and walked over to the cracked mirror, seeing he had placed her towel and toothbrush on the sink counter for her. That made her smile a little.

She began getting to work, checking for any obvious imperfections he might've noticed.

Zits? By some grace from God, she was clear.

Drool streaks? Clean.

Unkempt hair? Slightly bedhead, but that was more or less her usual look.

She decided pretty much everything he could have noticed about her appearance was close to spot-on…until she checked her breath, with her palm.

It reeked like hell.

Shit.

* * *

 _The five of them returned to the lair, sweaty and dirty, drained of energy and not at all in their best of moods. They decided, based on the time, that Sensei had gone to bed hours ago, and they couldn't wait to join him, in their own beds._

 _Michelangelo was the first to speak since they had entered the sewers, but not before slumping over onto the worn-out sofa._

 _"_ _Well, that fucking blowed," he sighed, paying no mind to Sensei's rule about swearing in the lair._

 _Raphael plopped next to him, sitting upright with his arms stretched over the furniture. "I'll tell ya what," he started, "if we keep screwin' around an' missin' baddies like dat, I'm gonna have ta go solo, one a these days."_

 _"_ _I could have sworn the sensors by 3_ _rd_ _Street and Main were programmed and ready to go for the night," Donnie mumbled, clearly exhausted but wanting to get to repairing one of the things that had caused them strife that night._

 _Alana was mildly frustrated with the entire situation, as well as with her team for not working together, and herself for deciding to go patrolling this late, on a fucking school night. She prayed her Chem partner had her back for the test, because she was nowhere near done studying._

 _She looked over at Leo, who seemed perpetually annoyed; pinching the space between his eyes with two fingers and resting the other hand on his hip. One of his katana had been broken in half, and he had a growing, purplish welt – given by a well-placed punch, during the excursion – at his right temple._

 _"_ _You need to get on that, as soon as morning breaks, Don. Because of a technological mishap, we missed out on aiding someone, and ended up getting our asses handed to us," he snapped, making it obvious he was pissed by snapping and swearing._ _Alana noticed this and warned him to back off._

 _"Leave him alone, Leo. We had even more trouble because you made some pretty shitty calls, back there."_

 _"_ _Please, Alana, I'm not in the mood." He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly upset with her, in particular, over their patrol._

 _"If you hadn't sidetracked us into getting involved with someone who didn't even need our help, we would have busted the Purple Dragon's drug deal and helped that old man."_

 _She fired back immediately, angry that he would blame her for their misfortune. "_ I'm _not the one ordered for a completely unnecessary, three-hour stakeout, in the_ wrong _location."_

 _"_ _What I say goes, Alana, and if what I say is a bad call, we all deal with it and work our way out of it,_ **like a team** _." Leo stated, the tone in his voice growing louder and more irritated with every word._

 _"_ _Then I just might as well start doing some of these patrols on my own. Or better yet, not leave the fucking lair for this shit at all."_

 _"_ _That just might work, Alana, since you have such a habit of not staying patiently in one place at a time."_

 _"_ _What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"_

 _Her face was now inches from his; she was so close he could see her red-tinted cheeks, that appeared when she became upset or flustered._

 _One of the others behind them attempted to step into the argument. "Hey, guys, maybe you should bo-."_

 _Leo cut them off, midsentence. "It means if it wasn't for your restiveness, you might still be with the people who left you here, in the first place!"_

 _…_ _.._

 _It all came out too fast. Too fast and too sudden._

 _He gasped at his ludicrous outburst, and reached out to touch her shoulder in condolence and apology._

 _She turned her head away from him, her eyes downcast, so he wouldn't see them watering. The salty tears prickled her eyes and blurred her vision, until she freely let them stream down her face._

 _Leo drew his hand back, trying to think of something that would fix this whole ordeal, but nothing affective came to mind._

 _He started to utter something like "Alana, I didn't mean that" but cut himself short when she turned away fully and made her way out of the living room, into the hallway where her bedroom belonged._

 _Leonardo stood stock-still, still staring at where she was previously standing. He turned to face his brothers, after hearing an uncomfortable cough from behind him. They all stared back at him, wide-eyed and partly judging._

 _Michelangelo was the first to speak up, yet again, after a moment of silence._

 _"_ _That was harsh, bro."_

 **Cue the cliffhanger! HAHAA!**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying this so far. I'm trying to start this new story with a different kind of style that involves HELLA flashbacks. Also, if you care to notice there's this extremely awkward, sexual tension between Leo and this Alana girl, that developed after he came back from training in S. America. The relationship WILL bloom in later chapters, I promise. REVIEW!**


	3. Connections

**Leo regarded the memory** with startling vividness.

Over a year ago it happened, after an inadequate vigil over the city, and everything from the raising volume of his voice to her bright, hazel eyes stinging with tears stuck with him like a bad taste. To this day, he didn't know how his composure got away from him, especially with Alana. He knew he was at his most tranquil when he was with her, but nowadays, he felt...troubled.

Not with her, exactly, but more being around her caused him to become unsettled and even experience a sort of shortness of breath. He had thought about asking Don if he knew what could be going on with him, but feared his brother's diagnosis.

So instead, he settled for the awkward interaction between them that never occurred, until after he'd returned from South America, a few weeks ago.

Leo didn't want to push anything too far, but at the same time...he couldn't help but want to be closer to her...

"You good, Fearless?"

Raphael and Donatello were giving him weird looks, as if to say, "Is anyone home?" Leo must've been staring off while thinking; he hadn't noticed his brother had been talking to him.

"I said when are ya gonna tell us about yer trainin' or whateva, in da jungles? Or is it some top-secret stuff, us lowly turtles can't know about?" Raphael mocked sarcastically, his arms crossed defiantly over his plastron, occasionally biting out of the bagel he had in his hand.

Leo rolled his eyes at his younger but most heavily built brother, ignoring the jab. He knew there would be more where that came from.

"I learned how to be a better leader, in a sense. And I've acquired new skills I'll be sharing with all of you, in training."

"Is that somethin' Splinter told ya to tell us?" Raph left no hesitation, obviously trying to irk his eldest brother.

"It's something I'm telling you, not Sensei," Leo replied just as quick. "But he does say I must learn to speak, think and act for myself, so as to develop my own skills as a leader."

"Sure," Raph chuckled. "Let us know how that works out for ya." The red-banded turtle sneered, shoveling the rest of his dry bagel into his mouth. "Where the hell is Mikey, anyways? He needs ta whip us up some breakfast 'fore the 10 o'clock news comes on." He peered into the fridge for some O.J.

"You rang?" the orange-banded brother stepped into the kitchen, chuckling at himself for his perfectly-timed entrance.

They all noticed he was exceptionally wide-awake and perky, despite it being 8 AM, on a Sunday. He was humming a short, poppy tune and he practically waltzed over to the stove, to flick on the burners. He slid over to the fridge to retrieve the carton of eggs and package of bacon, closing the door gracefully with his padded foot.

"Well, what's got you in such a good mood?" Donatello inquired, putting his book back down for a second.

"As if he could get in an even betta mood, den usual," Raph remarked, taking his seat next to Don. Leo leaned by the counter near the entrance of the kitchen, arms folded across his plastron, eyeing the bathroom door every so often.

"Gentlemen," Mikey started, cracking one of the eggs gracefully into a large bowl. "Today is the day that I finally become a man."

"But, you're not technically eighteen until March," Don pointed out.

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "And ain't ya like...a mutant turtle?"

"Besides the point, bros," Mikey continued. "Today I am a man, because I have finally found my soulmate."

"Soulmate?" his three older brothers were finally paying attention, upon hearing of his latest piece of news.

"What's going on, Mikey," Leo asked seriously, wanting to know like all of them. The orange-banded mutant placed a few strips of bacon onto a frying pan, and grabbed the bowl of raw eggs, mixing them while talking.

"I found a girl online," he said, nonchalantly adding salt and pepper to the egg mixture. "She's suuuuper pretty, she's got this cute name and she loves pizza and animals. Like me! I think we're in love, you guys."

The other three stared, dumbfounded at their youngest brother, all wondering if he had finally lost his mind. The cheerful turtle smiled at them, completely oblivious to their blank stares, and continued stirring the eggs.

Finally, Leo spoke again, wanting to get to the bottom of what his youngest sibling was saying.

"Mikey, you don't know anything else about this girl? Like what's her name? Where she works or goes to school? Is she involved with crime? She could be a member of the Purple Dragons or the Foot or worse. You have to really get to know someone before trying to build a relationship with them," he told his kid brother, trying to put emphasis to his words.

"And most importantly, she can't know that you're a mutant turtle living in the sewers."

"Chill bro, I know literally all those things about her," he began pouring the mixed eggs into the sizzling pan, and started working on the pancake mix.

"Her name's Jenna McKellan. Heh, kinda like that old British dude who played Gandalf and Magneto. She actually goes to Alana's school, so small world, amiright? She works at that local SPCA and Panera Bread, aaaand is definitely not into the whole crime schpeal. She even said she 'advocates for a world of peace and good vibes'...or something." Mikey poured a bit of the batter into the pan, forming a perfect, cream colored circle in the center.

"And she already knows I'm a turtle, bruh."

"She knows WHAT?" All three pairs of eyes were now on Michelangelo, as he casually flipped the browning batter.

"Well yeah," he continued, "I mean I told her, but she thought it was a joke or whatever, and then we talked about the perfect pizza toppings. She thought it was ham and pineapple, and I thought the same thing, but with pepperoni and sausage and mushrooms and..." Mikey began naming several other toppings, listing them off on his fingers.

His older brothers stared on with gaping mouths, until Raph cut into his brother's ramblings, making a capital "T" with his hands.

"Whoa whoa there, Mike. You jus' straight up told someone you were a mutant fuckin' turtle? What if she freaks out when she sees ya, then blows our fuckin' cover?!"

"Who's blowing who's cover?"

Alana stepped into the kitchen, dressed and ready to go out in blue jeans and an old pullover. Her usually plaited or braided hair came down to her shoulders in silky, black waves. Leonardo noticed this and couldn't help staring.

"What's this about a girl?" Alana asked no one in particular.

Don spoke up from his mug of coffee. "Mikey says he's found someone. A supposed 'soulmate.'"

"She is my soulmate, thank you very much," Michelangelo called from the stove, placing food onto some plates.

"Oooooh, a soulmate. I bet she's really pretty," Alana cooed, as she made her way over to the fridge.

"Ah, you wouldn't believe it, 'Lana, I met her on one of those dating websites and she's got this tan skin, almost like yours, and her hair's this light reddish-brownish. And her eyes are all sparkly and green, like those pretty rocks, uhmm..."

"Emeralds?" Don suggested.

"Yeah, those! God, 'Lana she's so cool and hot, I think she might be the one." Alana saw that playful glint in his wide, baby blues and couldn't help but smile with him.

"I think you're right, Mikey. I hope I get to meet this mystery girl of yours soon." She took an apple from the fridge and closed it. "Besides, nobody really knows who you are on the internet. She might think you're just shy or something without a profile picture."

"So, what if she asks him fer one," Raph pointed out.

"There's always Google images," Alana laughed and placed a sisterly kiss on Mikey's cheek. He thanked her by handing over a plate of pancakes and bacon.

She thanked him and rushed towards the kitchen exit, upon seeing the time, taking a pancake from her plate before handing it over to Raphael. "See you guys, tonight," she called over her shoulder.

"Gentlemen," Mikey started, with both arms spread out over the table of morning foods. "Breakfast is served."

* * *

 **"Fucking kill me, Alana.** Buhner's gonna have my ass by the end of the semester."

Jennifer McKellan stretched her body over the restaurant table, as she reached for her friend. Alana took her hands, feigning her friend's pretend melancholy.

"Why does this man continue to torture us with kinetics and thermodynamics? Like, when am I ever gonna need this stuff as a vet technician? Why don't I just quit while I'm ahead?" Jenna continued, her head now resting in her hands as their waiter placed their food among the workbooks and notes. They had stopped at Panera for a study session before a major midterm.

Alana playfully rolled her eyes at her friend and blew on her cheddar and broccoli soup.

"Because we apparently need physics if we're going to pursue our careers. We just have to get through these exams and then it's Midwinter Recess. Besides, it's like my dad always says, 'a doubtful mind creates enemies in the dark.'"

"Well, this doubtful mind is about to drown her sorrows in French onion soup," Jenna frowned into her bread bowl. She took a spoon of soup, eyeing the scene. "Thank God it's so slow right now. I hope it's like this during my shift."

"I thought you didn't work Sundays," Alana inquired.

"I don't, but Claire said she had an emergency at her other job, that she really needs to be there later on, so I took her 6PM to close for today." Jenna bit into her bread bowl and looked up at the approaching waitress. "Well, speak of the devil."

Claire Fitzgerald was a close friend of Alana and Jenna, having gone to school with them since their freshman year. Due to her academic excellence, she had graduated a year early as a junior, to pursue her dream of owning a second-hand bookstore, but stopped short when her parents passed 6 months later.

"Hey there, lovely," Jenna called to her friend and made room for her to sit on her seat. Claire sat down with her, taking her work cap off to let her dark, mid-length hair loose.

"Hi guys," Claire started with a soft smile. She had always been known for being gentle and sweet, yet extremely shy. "I hope the coffee was okay, tonight. I tried using French Roast, instead of that careless store brand stuff."

Alana smiled into her cup, thinking of how the coffee flavor reminded her of Don. "I thought it tasted better than usual. Good stuff, Claire," she offered, sipping from her cup.

"Thanks again for taking my shift tonight, Jen. I hope it's not too much of a bother for you," Claire smiled at her friend.

"Anything for you, beautiful. I still owe you for taking my whole week, when I had the flu last month," Jenna pointed out, remembering how her friend also took bowls of chicken noodle to her house when she was under the weather.

Claire continued to smile and shrugged. "Don't worry about it, that was nothing."

Jenna turned her attention to her open physics book and turned her nose up, upon seeing the science-y jargon.

"Now if you would please use that gorgeous brain of yours and help me with these goddamn notes." She passed the book to her intelligent friend, hoping for answers. Claire's bright blue eyes gazed over the pages and immediately lit up.

"Mr. Buhner's having you guys work on thermodynamics? These were a total breeze my sophomore year. I can take this home if you want, Jen?"

"Praised be the fair-skinned scholar!" Jenna cried, fake-sobbing into her friend's shoulder. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you, Claire Beeear! I'll swing by tomorrow before school to pick it up from you."

"Haha, anytime. Do you want help too, Alana?" Claire asked genuinely.

"No thanks, you help out Jen. I think I'll bring it to one of my brothers tonight," Alana closed her workbook.

"Oooh, the Donnie fellow?" Claire asked, intrigued.

Jenna began placing her notebooks into her pack. "He sounds a lot like you, Claire, based on 'Lana's description. You interested?"

Claire's cheeks began to turn a bright beet red. She smiled and looked down into her lap. "He does seem nice and sophisticated. I wouldn't mind getting to know him."

"Yeah, when are we gonna meet these brothers of yours, Alana, it's been like four years since we first met you."

Alana had gotten used to being asked questions regarding her family, so was unfazed when answering. "Like I said, you guys, they're just not used to public interaction. It's just the way our dad raised them, before I came along."

"I guess that makes sense," Claire said. "Though, it would be nice to meet them someday."

"Maybe," Alana said. _"Maybe not,"_ she thought.

"Welp," Jenna started, stretching her arms out before getting up, "I'm gonna get ready for my shift. See you in Satan's class tomorrow, 'Lana." She took up her backpack and squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm gonna get ready to head out," Claire added, getting up from her seat. "Love you guys."

"Love you," Alana took up her notes and the rest of her soup, and headed out the restaurant door to her home.

* * *

 **His legs moved underneath** his heavy, slender body like lightning, the lights from nearby buildings blurring all around him. He breathed in the crisp, cool night air and blew out, controlling each breath like he'd practiced. As the edge of the building neared, he sucked in a quick breath and arched his back so he could run lower to the ground, gaining speed and momentum.

At the very edge, he leapt up on his haunches and into the air, his leg muscles contracting and then expanding mid-air. The next building caught him as he brought one padded foot down for impact. He cleared the landing then continued running across the new building to the next, his purple tassels flapping behind him in the breeze.

Donatello always loved doing patrols in the cold aboveground; he'd often loathe how stuffy it got with his brothers in the lair. The cool breeze would prickle his olive-green skin, sending a rush of chills up his spine that weirdly helped him breathe better.

While he ran along the edge of the city building, his red-banded brother came into view out of the corner of his eye. He saw Raphael look behind himself for a quick second, then over at Donatello and smirked in a way that implied an inside joke between the two.

Donnie looked back to see Alana in her _kunoichi_ garb, running alongside Michelangelo. About 10 feet behind her was Leonardo, not looking ahead of the group, but directly at her. Donnie regarded this and looked back at Raph, sharing his own playful smirk.

The two had noticed Leo's and Alana's awkward interaction with each other, that didn't occur until his return from Central America, and they both couldn't help but watch it play out, in amusement. They knew, since the day she was found by Sensei, that Leo had been closest to her than the others, but nowadays he would regard her from afar with a serious expression, never speaking to her unless she spoke first.

It was oddly fascinating.

"Stop here, you guys," Leo called from behind, halting the group. "Donnie, what's it look like for tonight?"

Don looked down at the watch he'd made himself. It wasn't so much a watch, as it was a super computer built into a compact and portable accessory he wore everywhere. It contained a world-wide GPS and tracking device, wireless connection to local New York City radios and police scanners, video surveillance of any cameras he had set up in the city years ago, and of course, Bluetooth.

He tapped on the video icon and pulled up live surveillance of the alley by a nearby café and mechanic's garage. No suspicious activity there. The apartments on Main and 3rd ; there was a man walking towards his car with his hands stuffed into his jacket. Don would come back to that one. He swiped to a dimly lit alley by a nearby Panera. Nothing but an elderly woman walking out of the restaurant.

"Not much, as of now. I saw a guy walking by his car on the apartment surveillance. Nothing else worth investigating."

"Keep looking," Leo insisted.

 **On the other** side of town, Jenna was starting to close up shop at work. She had already cleared the rest of the tables in her section and had finished her last customer's dish, placing it in its respective cubicle. She took her phone out of her back pocket and gazed over the screen at any new notifications. There was one from him.

 _"What's shaking, sweet thang ;)?"_ it read, from Mike. She smiled and began typing.

" _Nothing special :P just closing up at work."_ Send.

She waited for a second before shutting her phone off to see the thought bubble notif appear onscreen. It hovered for a second before producing a new message from him.

 _"Aw, hope the night shift wasn't too bad. Stay safe, beautiful_ ."

 **Michelangelo stood off** to the side on the roof of the warehouse, smiling into his phone and typing away on the keys. He sent a quick message and then placed it back into his belt pocket.

He placed his hands behind his head and looked up at his brothers and Alana. They all stood apart from one another, each busy with their own activities; Donnie was looking at his watch, Raph was showing Alana how to spit over the edge of the building like a guy, and Leo was standing off to the side watching intensely over the city.

Mikey always liked these parts of missions, besides beating up the baddies, of course; the part before the action where his family was standing around being themselves. Before Leo left and came back all uptight and serious, they would all usually crack jokes and bring up good memories from the past before a fight.

"Looks like something skeptical over by the Panera alley, you guys," Don called out to the group, ushering everyone over to his wrist.

Displayed on the small screen was a pack of big dudes of about 5 or 6 hovering over a small, feminine figure. The group of guys started slowly pushing what looked to be a teenage girl further into the alley.

 **Jenna couldn't believe this was happening to her.**

Of all the stories she'd heard of young girls being assaulted and abused in public, she never knew she'd be one of them.

It all started when she was taking out the trash behind the restaurant, she turned her back for just a second when the back door slammed shut, a stranger standing in its place. He came off really slick and mysterious, and he inched over to her with his hand out.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya, sweetheart, jus' wanted ta dance a lil." He pulled out the blade with swift ease, almost as if he'd done this more than once. The next guy came practically from the shadows, with a blade of his own, followed by three more behind him, each moving to surround her.

Jenna began to back up slowly, both hands out in front of her chest in surrender. She ended up with her back against what she thought was the alley wall…until she felt it move. She turned around swiftly to see yet another stranger, closing in on her.

"Please...please don't..."

 **"Just a few more feet, we'll be nearing the alley,"** Donnie called to the group, as they sprinted over the rooftops towards their destination. He would check the live action happening at the scene every few seconds, seeing as this was definitely a high-risk situation. They all halted at the edge of the building, peering into the dimly lit alley to scope the scene, all taking in what was going on. The group of guys were all nearing the girl, who stood about 10 feet away with her back against the wall looking helpless and scared.

Alana noticed her hair was a reddish-brown, piled into a messy bun on the top of her head like how Jenna usually kept it.

 _Wait. Was that girl wearing a Panera work uniform? And her eyes are bright green...kind of like -_

"Jenna?" Mikey said softly under his breath _._ Alana looked over at him, dumbfounded.

 _"_ Wait. _You_ know Jenna?" she asked in disbelief.

Mikey stared back, mouth gaping. "What do you mean _I_ know Jenna? Jenna's my soulmate."

"She's my bestfriend."

"Guys," Raph stepped in,"shouldn't we be rescuin' her?"

"Right," Alana looked back seriously into the alley, eyeing the men that were closing in on her friend. "Not on my watch, creeps."

She leapt off of the edge of the building onto a nearby fire escape in one swift motion, being careful of any noise. She crept down the rusted ladder smoothly, Michelangelo not far behind her. Alana was the first to land on the ground right in front of her friend in fighting stance, thankful that her _kunoichi_ outfit covered most of her face, making it hard for Jenna to figure out who she was.

"What the fuck is this?" One of the thugs in front of them said aloud, upon seeing Alana come out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, ma'am, we'll get you out of this," she said to Jenna, disguising her voice.

"Al _ana?"_

Alana turned towards her friend looking back wide-eyed when she heard her name.

"How did you...?"

"That's the fucking pin I gave you for Christmas last year! The one in your hair?!"

 _Shit._

All of a sudden, Mikey landed with a hard thud on the pavement next to Alana, followed by the other three turtles, causing Jenna to scream with surprise. The orange-banded brother turned his head towards her and gave her a toothy smile.

"Don't worry, beautiful, we're the good guys," he assured her with a thumbs-up.

"What the FUCK!" Jenna cried, her hands meshed into her hair.

"Get the freaks," ordered one of the thugs, as they all advanced towards the turtles, Alana and Jenna.

Raphael was the first to strike, easily disarming one guy with his sai and taking him by the collar of his jacket. The red-banded turtle lifted the thug off of the ground and brought him against the wall for a blow.

Donatello was already finished with one thug, having knocked him unconscious with his bo staff and moved onto the next, stopping the charging thug with his staff. He used a well placed hit to the temple and watched as the creep crumbled to the ground, also unconscious.

Leonardo and Michelangelo tag-teamed the last two thugs using a combined move involving both of their weapons they had perfected years ago, and adding to the number of passed out goons.

Alana stood by her friend the whole time, talking quickly, trying her best to calm her down. "Look, I know it's crazy but these are my brothers we're only here to protect you and the city, you have to trust me, Jen, you can't panic on me" she said, trying to keep her voice calm for her friend.

"I'm not panicking, I'm not panicking, this is just a lot to take in," Jenna was staring at both Alana and the action that was unfolding behind her, trying to pick out what was happening. "Why the fuck are they huge and green?" Wondering about her friend's supposed "brothers."

"It's a long story,' Alana said with a smirk. She saw Jenna's eyes look past her and grow wide with fear.

Before Alana could turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around her body and lifted her up. The thug behind her squeezed tight and attempted to bring her down, but without realizing that after training with mutant hulking masses her whole life she was used to weight heavier than this guy's.

She kept her ground long enough to slip her foot behind the thug's and easily twisted out of his grip as he fell over. Before he hit the ground, she caught his shoulder and glared into his eyes before head butting the guy and watching him hit the ground.

From behind her, Jenna stared on in surprise and quickly backed up. She backed up too fast and caught her shoe on a sliver of ice that had formed on the ground from the cold, falling back and hitting her head against the wall, passing out instantly.

"Jen!" Alana cried, turning around to see her friend fall to the ground. She ran over to her side, lifting her head off of the ground and laying her own onto Jenna's chest, checking for a pulse. She waited a minute before hearing the soft drum of a heartbeat and let out a steady breath.

The others had finished their work and came over quickly to see Alana and Jen on the ground. Mikey knelt next to this beautiful girl's body opposite his adopted sister and caught his breath. He'd never been this close to any other human except Alana.

He stared down at her and then back up. "Is she...?"

"No, she's still breathing, but her head's definitely wounded from behind." She smoothed her friend's hair out of her face, being mindful of the back of her head. "We can't leave her here in the cold, you guys, she needs medical attention," she said, looking directly at Leo while doing so.

He saw she was secretly pleading with him, but couldn't help but think about the risks.

"Please, Leo, we gotta get her back to the lair," Mikey begged his older brother, a look of worry and seriousness in his baby blues, which he didn't see often.

"Whateva we do," Raph called from the manhole cover in the center of the alley, "we gotta do it now. The cops are closin' in." Flashing red and blue lights shown against one side of the wall, notifying the group of the approaching law enforcement.

Leo looked down at Mikey and Alana holding the girl then back at Raph and Donnie making their way down the manhole then back at the girl.

"Get the girl, Mikey. We'll see if Sensei can patch her up." He turned towards the manhole and sprinted towards the opening, jumping into the shadows. Alana handed her friend's body over to Mikey, whispering at him to "Mind her head" before following Leo into the entrance of the sewers.

Mikey made his way over as well, with Jenna's body wrapped snug in his arms. "Don't you worry, babe, we'll take care of ya," he whispered into her hair. He used one hand to help himself down the dark entrance, then again to place the cover back completely, surrounding himself and Jenna in darkness.

 **Hello, fellow readers! Sorry about the 5 month hiatus for those who are actually reading. Everyone needs a break I guess :/.**

 **What a wild ride though, amiright? This chapter was definitely longer than the first two, I just had to fit these new characters and their connections to Alana and the turtles. I bet y'all didn't see that Mikey-Jenny-Alana triangle coming, did you? More to come!**

 **Review!**


	4. Positve Lessons

**_"Sensei…..this is dumb."_**

The wise, old rat chuckled softly, regarding his student's comment. He knew if he attempted to teach any one of his children a skill this difficult, and at such a young age, it would come with minor repercussions.

Master Splinter had been trying all day to teach his only daughter the Japanese healing technique _'Reiki'_ , but it proved rather strenuous to the poor child. This was all quite expected however, for she had only just turned ten last month and her skills weren't so advanced yet.

"Young One, this technique is not ' _dumb_ '. Laboring, perhaps. But not ' _dumb_ '.

Alana glared down at her small hands and huffed in frustration. She had been up since the ungodly hour of four in the morning on a Sunday and had missed the end of her cartoons three hours ago. She didn't want to be rude when her Sensei was trying to teach her a new skill, but after overhearing her brothers playing and enjoying their only day off _every_ Sunday since last month, the extensive extra training was starting to get to her.

"You said that ' _the ones giving off the energy must be relaxed and fixated on both the energy and the injured one they'll be giving it to_ ,'" she groaned, balling up her tiny fists. "I've been relaxed and focused for a month, Sensei. Why is it being stupid?"

Master Splinter understood his daughter's frustration. It was growing later and later into the day, she hadn't eaten since that morning at her Master's discretion, and she was becoming more defeated at the fact that she wasn't grasping the material.

But the wise one knew this was for her, more than it was for his other children. He had to find a new route.

"You must remember, my child, _Reiki_ energy is a positive energy. A universal energy that is available to all things."

The master walked away from Alana, and over to the corner of the room that possessed the only sliver of sunlight in the lair. In the corner, guarded by the smidge of sunlight and a small, baby blue, spouted water pot was a cherry blossom sapling.

The sapling was puny, misshapen and almost sickly-looking…but sort of shined proudly in its sliver of light, despite its deformity.

"Do you see this sapling, my child?" He softly cradled one of the tiny blossoms and titled it upward, so it glinted in the light.

"It does not receive enough sunlight as it was meant to. It grows itself into such a distressing position because of this. Its soil is polluted. The water we give it may not be the cleanest. And yet, Young One, it still grows every day. Do you know why this is?"

Alana regarded the ugly plant as if she was sorry for it but stopped herself short when she realized that wasn't right. This sapling strived through what she assumed was the worst in a plant's experience - poor surroundings, gross food – yet it still grew. _Everyday_.

Alana's ten-year-old head perked up in enlightenment. "Because it lives with hope."

Master Splinter let a small smile play on his bearded snout. She was grasping.

"Yes, my child," he said, picking up the water pot and putting it into her small palms. "Everything in this world is comprised of shifting energies. But the energy that stays grounded is positive energy; the energy of hope and looking forward."

He motioned for her to bring the pot over to the sapling. "This blossom grows stronger every day, not because of what we supplement it, but because it hopes to see another day. It hopes to one day touch what brought it into this world; the Sun."

He nodded his head at her, and she took that as her cue to water the sapling. She gave it a decent amount for the day and set the water pot back next to it.

Master Splinter took her hands into his and flipped them over so that her palms faced the sky. He placed his long thumbs into her palms and began rubbing tiny circles into them. It took a second, but almost instantly, the master's thumbs began giving off a soft, glowing light. Alana had seen this many a time, but still sucked in her breath as if this was her first encounter with her Sensei's healing technique.

"The Subtle Energy – you know this simply as ' _chi_ ' – that flows through the body is as important to health and well-being as other bodily functions. When one's _chi_ is strong and free-flowing, that person is healthy, mentally and physically."

Just then, the place where Master Splinter had his thumbs began giving off a warm heat. This was the healing at work in Alana's palms.

"However, when the energies become weak, or out of balance, one may experience distress, mentally and physically. Balancing and strengthening subtle energies can assist the body, mind and spirit; heal and stay well. How do you think that is?"

Alana was picking up what her master was putting down.

"Positive thoughts make positive energy."

The old rat stopped amid his technique and grasped his daughter's hands, kneeling now so he was eye-level with her.

"That's right, my child." She was learning. But now she needed to show what she had learned.

"When I perform this technique, I take what positive memories I've collected and use them as my material to ignite the _Reiki_." Master Splinter placed his gray-furred hands into her small ones and had her put her own thumbs into his palms. "Do you know what memories I use to do this?"

Alana looked up at the wise master, genuinely wondering.

"I use memories of you. Of your brothers. Of the days I saved both them and you. Of all the times you've all made me so proud, Alana. I use these things to create the energy that can heal and save."

Alana got it now. It was like how in Peter Pan, the kids had to use good thoughts in order to fly to Neverland. Faith, trust, and pixie dust.

"And now, it's your turn, child. I know it is in you." He nodded his head at her, signaling for her to begin. She looked at him, at first with a look of worry, but then softened and looked back down at their hands.

She just needed to focus. She needed to pick a memory.

 _Fluorescent light breaking a dark alley._

Yes.

 _Thick, rich fabric, the color of midnight blue._

There it is.

 _A man with a staff in his hand, a necklace in the other_.

Almost there.

 _A beautiful woman with a warm smile._

That's the one.

Little Alana opened her eyes, seeing her hands radiating with the soft, faint light.

 **"Well done, my child."**


End file.
